OMB Standards for Data on Race and Ethnicity

These are the standards for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Development of these data standards stemmed in large measure from new responsibilities to enforce civil rights laws. Data were needed to monitor equal access in housing, education, employment, and other areas, for populations that historically had experienced discrimination and differential treatment because of their race or ethnicity. The categories represent a social-political construct designed for collecting data on the race and ethnicity of broad population groups in this country, and are not anthropologically or scientifically based.